Ask anyone close to Rachel King and Brad Huff, and they’ll likely tell you that their wedding was a long time coming. “Our love for each other was always apparent…to everyone else," Rachel recalls. And so it was no surprise that after countless years of friendship, they exchanged vows in their home state of Texas on November 18, 2017. To help plan the event, they turned to the team from Easton Events, who worked with Rachel's sister, BAZAAR.com Editorial Director Joyann King, on her July 2016 nuptials.
The event was all about elegance, intimacy, and luxe details. “We wanted to transform a traditional tent into a beautiful, exquisitely detailed and layered room,” says Lynn Easton. “It was as if you were walking into someone’s fabulous home for dinner.” An autumnal vision of dusty blues, champagne, and caramel hues brought together 300 family and friends who have known the couple since the sixth grade. As they said in their welcome letter: “Our love has taken us from two middle-school kids to grown adults that have gone through many ups and downs—but most importantly, we did them all together.”
Forever Friends
Rachel and Brad go way back—all the way to middle school, when they first met volunteering at a youth group near their home city of Houston, Texas. From there, it was off to high school and then to college together. “After growing to become best friends through high school, we made the decision in my kitchen to sign on the dotted line to attend SMU,” remembered Rachel, the managing director of a NYC-based charter school network. They began their freshman year as friends, but “no matter what frat party we attended we always found an excuse to meet up,” she recalls. Yet true romance was still a few years down the road.
Post graduation, they went their separate ways for the first time: Rachel to New York City and Brad to Napa. After a few years, Brad joined Rachel in New York, where finally, as Rachel puts it, “Our dinners turned to regular occasions and before we knew it, dinners turned to dates and dates turned to our admission that we were in love.”
All the Details
The Proposal: Twenty years of friendship made for a solid foundation for the couple, who only officially dated for 10 months before getting engaged. “We spent every weekend we could walking the water of Riverside Drive Park or Central Park, so I proposed on the coldest day of the year while walking through [the park] with our dogs Fitz and Dixon and a paparazzi photographer staked out in the trees,” says the groom. As for the ring? A family jeweler created a 3.2-carat Asscher-cut diamond with tapered baguettes.
The Invites: The couple and Easton Events worked with Yonder Design to create their invitation suite backed in plush velvet, and imprinted with their monogram. Pale blues aren't the tone most-often associated with autumn, but a chinoiserie-inspired floral liner an rich textures insured the invites felt fresh, yet seasonally appropriate. Vintage stamps and gold calligraphy finished off the suite, which was a clear marriage of old world with a modern polish.
The Rehearsal Dinner: After a fun-filled Friday—Rachel had a bridal shower and Brad played tennis and golf at the Dallas Country Club—the duo had a “Boots and Blazers” themed rehearsal dinner at Gilley’s Dallas that was catered by Mi Cocina, Brad’s favorite Tex-Mex restaurant. “The entire wedding was invited,” said the groom. “We had a lot of friends from out of town, and we wanted to give them a taste of Texas.”
The Dress: Rachel always knew she wanted a wedding dress with sleeves, which helped narrow down the choices from the start. She’s admittedly not much of a shopper, and was ready to pull the trigger on the second dress she tried on at Vera Wang. “My mom and sister forced me to go to a few more appointments and said if I still loved it, I should get it." And that’s exactly what she did.
“I loved that it had lace sleeves, and wasn’t so tight that I couldn’t move,” she says. She paired the romantic gown with a black velvet ribbon around the waist, classic Manolo Blahnik Hangisi pumps, her sister’s veil, which was designed with the intention of being a family heirloom, and diamond drop earrings from Manhattan-based jeweler, Stephen Russell.
The Fashion: Rachel's maid of honor, BAZAAR.com's Joyann King, donned a rich burgundy velvet gown by Dolce & Gabbana; her mother, Kathie King, hearkened to the velvet bow in the bride's gown as well with a custom burgundy gown by Dallas-based designer Patti Flowers with gathered velvet statement sleeves. The sister of the groom also donned a velvet gown–in navy–and bridesmaids were given the option to choose a jewel tone of their choice, but all landed on navy looks as well. The result? A moody-toned bridal party that felt fresh amongst the dusty blues and tawny tones of the wedding's palette.
The Ceremony: Dallas—where SMU is located—holds a special place in the couple’s hearts, so it was a no-brainer when deciding where to exchange their vows: the university’s Perkins Chapel. “Our dorms were across the street from the chapel,” Rachel says. “It was perfect because we really wanted a church wedding, but we wanted it to feel intimate. My mom had to wake up at 3 a.m. to wait in line to reserve our wedding date, which was during football season.” The couple exchanged traditional vows during their ceremony, which was officiated by a close friend and pastor of Rachel’s family. The ceremony also included a reading by a close friend from high school, to make the traditional service personalized to the couple.
The Reception: Located about a mile away from the chapel, the Dallas Country Club is an iconic wedding venue—but the duo put an untraditional twist on it. The tent, which was constructed over the country club’s pool, was far from ordinary. Rather than a soaring ceiling, the low-slung draping gave the room a sense of intimacy. Real, soft-blue hued walls were adorned with panels covered in de Gournay-inspired wallpaper and design details included gold chandeliers that now hang in the newlyweds’ master bathroom. (The bamboo lamps used along the back tables have also found a permanent place in their Dallas home.)
Calligraphed escort cards were displayed on silver trays, “playing into the residential theme,” says Easton. Tables were all about layering textures, with low yet lush bouquets of peonies, garden roses, and lots of seasonal greenery, Casa de Perrin dishware that included stemware with blue handles and pale pink glasses, and velvet patterned tablecloths. “We searched really hard to find the perfect print that had the right amount of punch to it and still felt like a wedding,” Easton says.
The First Dance: The couple took to the dance floor for the first time as a married couple for a quick dance to “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett. “We both love country music and Thomas Rhett,” says Brad, who wore a custom tux from Michael Andrews Bespoke in New York. “And we thought it had a good meaning–it was young and fun rather than old-school.”
The Food: Dinner was a three-course meal of roasted butternut squash soup; poached pear salad with blue cheese, fig, and toasted hazelnuts; and roasted chicken with Peruvian potatoes and asparagus. “The first decision we made when planning the wedding menu was not to give people [too many] options; we didn’t want the meal to last all night,” Brad says. Also of upmost importance: impeccable service. “We loved how every plate was served at the exact same time,” he says.
The Cake: Rachel and Brad had one idea for a cake: white-on-white. “It was just butter cream, no fancy fillings—simple and good,” she says of the five-tier creation from Dallas Affaires Cake Co. that was adorned with real flowers. The topper, however, was made with funfetti, which the couple plans to defrost and sample on their one-year anniversary.
The Dance Party: After dinner, guests moved inside to the ballroom, which had been transformed into a lounge-like space with a circular bar. “I’ve been in that ballroom a lot, and it was completely different on the night of our wedding,” says Rachel, who changed into a multi-colored Carolina Herrera cocktail dress she found while wedding dress shopping at Saks and Stuart Weitzman pumps adorned with pearls.
Rhythm Collective, courtesy of Élan Artists, provided the music—which was a highlight for Rachel. Guests got a little extra energy from pass chocolate truffles and the groom’s cake, a carrot confection in the shape of a taxi, inspired by a memory of one of their first dates. Post dance party, it was time for a late-night snack: chicken fingers and French fries from Chick-fil-A.
The Honeymoon:The newlyweds took a mini-moon to Seaside, Florida, before embarking on their real getaway to Europe in December. In Monte Carlo, they stayed at the Hotel de Paris, and in Paris, they spent a few blissful nights at Le Bristol. They spent New Year’s in the City of Light, and the couple had the perfect outfits for the black-tie event they attended: Rachel wore her Carolina Herrera reception dress, and Brad wore his wedding tux.
